To the Beat of Your Song
by Sunny-D57
Summary: After a terrible break-up with Artemis for reasons Wally still can't understand, a new man walks into his life. A musical man who makes Wally's heart sing. Every time Wally listens to Hartley's music, he finds himself falling a little more in love. Problems start to rise when Hartley's song is not as sweet as it seems.
1. The Not-Gay Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of this product beyond the parts you don't recognize or that cannot be found elsewhere. **

**So, I actually had no plans to post a new fic, however, I promised to post this sometime back. Like, October of 2013, probably earlier. And I've kept delaying, despite having a good portion of it written. Since my schedule's shot to hell, and I had some time today and I felt tremendously guilty, I decided to post this sooner rather than later (Because the way things are, later would have been June and that's not cool.) **

**So, this is another angst-monster. Just know, I don't hate Hartley, nor do I hate Wally. I just enjoy tormenting their poor souls. **

**Let me know what you think. **

**And find me on Tumblr to question me and see any snippets or such. **

* * *

**The Not-Gay Dilemma**

Breaking up sucked. Like really sucked. Even if Wally knew it was for the best, it _sucked_. They'd only dated for a little over one month! All that unresolved sexual tension- and it was over in a month. She was supposed to be his spitfire, but no, it all ended in a _month._ His first ever relationship hadn't even gone beyond a month!

They'd gone on a total of five dates, kissed on each of them, but there had been no advancements. Not even _tongue._ Not that he blamed Artemis for that. It had just become really awkward for the two of them when they'd tried to move things a bit quicker. Wally had tried for a long time to get used to kissing Artemis, convincing himself that he wanted things to go further, and that he wanted to kiss her more, preferably with tongue. He was going to be the Wall-_man_. But the moment the tongue was introduced-

It failed dramatically.

As soon as Artemis realized that Wally wasn't turned on by her and didn't like kissing_,_ there had been a strain in their relationship. A gap the size of the Grand Canyon formed between the two of them, and Wally hadn't been able to mend the relationship. He'd tried, really tried, but he just couldn't fix things between them. And he didn't know why.

He had always been attracted to girls. What wasn't to be attracted to? They had _boobs_.

Enough said.

But lately, over the last two or three months, nothing about the female body was showing any appeal to him. Or well- to his libido. He'd scoured the internet for raunchy porn (he was never going to let Robin touch his computer lest he find that search), tried and tried to jack-off to it, but he couldn't even get hard. His heart, his brain, loved the ladies. His penis. Not so much.

And then, when he'd been inside the gym locker room, some jocks pulled out some gay porn. They were pranking some of their friends by shoving it into their lockers. Wally's eyes had widened when one of the images landed in front of his feet. A lean blonde and his muscular partner, the blonde being jacked off while his partner toyed with a nipple in his mouth. Instant erection.

He'd tried to ignore the signs, but ever since the awful break-up with Artemis, he just couldn't. The idea that he could be, well, gay, was alarming. Never had Wally associated himself with the gay community. He was all for gay pride and all. Rainbows, parades, all cool. He had no issues with gay guys. But _he_ wasn't gay. Even if he did parade around in spandex. Yellow spandex. Okay, maybe there was some homosexuality inside of him that he needed to explore.

Which was why he was doing this in the sanctity of his room. His mouse scrolled over to the Google tab, and with extreme hesitance, he began typing. _How do you know if you're gay?_ Stupid question Walls.

But Google was surprisingly informative. Apparently, according to the Wiki-How page he clicked, having gay fantasies didn't mean he was gay. And Wally was pretty sure that his new gay-ness had only recently gotten this bad in the last three months. He'd had the occasional gay thought before the whole no-likey-the-boobs-no-more thing had begun, but that was different. It was never like this.

Maybe he was bi, and the homo-part of him had decided to act out. Badly. And ruin his first ever relationship. Okay. Maybe he was still grieving over that and this was a bad idea. Click. The page shut down and disappeared. Wally flumped back on his bed, and stared at the Flash poster across from his bed. Beside it was a Green Lantern poster. The stared at him, looking amused and maybe disappointed, or judgemental. He had to take them down until his internal crisis was solved.

Once the posters were out of the way, he stopped to think. Maybe he was going about this in all the wrong way.

* * *

Except, what on earth was the right way? This question was what Wally found himself considering the next day as he headed to school. At sixteen, Wally West was going through an identity crisis. He was pretty sure that he wasn't in the mood to play the role of confused and awkward teen. He was sidekick to the Flash. There weren't any gay superheros to approach about this. And Wally wasn't ready to be the first to come out of the proverbial closet.

"Excuse me?" said a voice from behind him.

Wally turned to come face to face with a very attractive man. He had a lean face, with long, strawberry blonde hair that he'd tied into a pony-tail. A bit of his bangs fell forward into his eyes, before being swept off to the side. And he had beautiful eyes. Blue like sulphate. So bright and electric. Wally felt himself stop in awe.

"Uh- anyone in there?" asked the man, playfully knocking on his head.

Wally turned pink, and sheepishly ran a hand through his red hair, before replying, "So, yeah, uh- Can I help you?"

The man smirked, as though he knew exactly why Wally had been so distracted by him, and said, "Do you know the way to the music room in this place? I'm the new teacher's assistant."

"Uh- yes- totally," said Wally quickly, "Its-

"Just show me the way," said the man easily, "My name's Hartley, by the way."

"West Wally- I mean- Wally West," said Wally quickly, the pink permanently emblazoned on his cheeks. The older man was leaving him tongue-tied. He'd never felt this way around anyone before, until Artemis, and _so_ not the point. That thought was shuffled aside for finding the way to the music room.

"Nice to meet you Wally," said the man easily, "Are you a music student?"

Wally lead Hartley through the bustling halls of the school building. It was old and worn down, with lockers that had once been blue, and were now a dull blue-grey. The tiles were cracked but still creamy in color, and the students mostly ignorant to anyone but their cell-phones and closest confidantes. But a few still gazed over at Hartley.

And Wally could completely understand. The man was handsome, there was no doubt about it. He worse a beautiful red button down shirt, with a white tie and black jeans. The tie was somewhat loose around his neck, but other then that, he looked immaculate. And even the loose tie gave him a casual, sort of relaxed handsomeness- _and oh-my-god he just asked Wally a question!_

"No- I- no rhythm," answered Wally quickly, "What do you play?"

"I'm fond of all instruments, but mostly, I play my flute," said Hartley with a grin, "So what do you do for fun, Wally?"

The way he said 'Wally' made said kid feel his knees buckle. Hartley was suave, and confident. In comparison, Wally felt like a gawky and awkward teenager with too-red hair and green eyes that clashed horribly with his hair. And way too many freckles. Plus he lacked the tanned skin Hartley had. He was a pale little freak.

"I- I run a lot," said Wally, finding himself relaxing around Hartley, "And I like science."

"Science huh? That's pretty neat," said Hartley with a nod, "You any good for a- junior? Sophomore?"

"Sophomore," said Wally easily, "Going to be a junior this year. Are you- I mean- You don't look old enough to be out of college."

Hartley just continued to give him that small smile, his eyes crinkling with amusement, as he easily replied, "I'm twenty, almost twenty-one. This job is just for fun."

Twenty. He was four, almost five years older to Wally. The idea was depressing in a manner Wally just couldn't quite understand. They had reached the music room, and Hartley glanced at the door, before looking down at Wally. He was so tall, as tall as Uncle Barry. And he had a lean, but very muscled body that Wally found himself looking at far too much to be polite.

"Did you hear anything I just asked you Wally?" asked Hartley, looking amused.

"Uh-

"Have a good day Wally," said Hartley with a smile, "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Yeah- Definitely- yeah- that'd- yeah," said Wally lamely, but grinning like a dopey idiot.

As Hartley disappeared into the music room, Wally realized he was late to his math class. Which was all the way on the third floor of the school and he hadn't even started up the stairs. Groaning, Wally jogged off and up to his classroom. All the while, he couldn't help but think about copper sulfate blue eyes.

* * *

Training with Black Canary was both a pain, and a blessing. Wally had gained almost ten pounds of muscle since he'd started training with the woman. And he was definitely a better fighter. Most of his training with Uncle Barry was based around speed-based attacks. Black Canary taught him how to use his attacks without speed. She'd taught him the importance of technique. And she'd taught him how to use his speed for more then just sheer power.

So, almost three days after meeting Mr. Rathaway, as he was now addressed by the school, Wally found himself in a strange predicament as he sat in his canary-yellow suit on the training bench beside Artemis. The two of them were watching M'gann and Zatanna spar. The magician was improving immensely in her technique, and had a very solid kick that bruised on more than one occasion. It probably had to do with those heeled shoes she was so fond of.

Normally, Wally was someone who liked to cheer and make comments during the fight. And Artemis, despite the awkwardness of their break-up, would join in with amusement. They weren't whole again, but they weren't as distant. Breaking things off had been healthy for the both of them. Besides, they had forced themselves to be normal with each other after their break-up to avoid the questions being hurled their way. Neither wanted to discuss the embarrassing reason why their relationship had failed. And in that manner, the tension the team had picked up on had faded, and maybe, just maybe, it had faded between them too.

"Why so quiet today, Kid Mouth?" asked Artemis, elbowing him playfully, but her eyes were concerned.

Wally was startled by the question, and turned to face her in surprise. He'd been thinking about sulphate blue eyes all day. All week actually. He hadn't realized that he'd been acting out of the ordinary until Artemis pointed it out.

"Nothing, just thinking about a chemistry experiment I have to finish," said Wally with a shrug.

"Chemistry experiment?" asked Robin, popping up out of nowhere from behind Wally and Artemis, "I've never seen you so not tracted before."

"Tracted? So- opposite of distract?" asked Artemis, and Robin grinned cheekily in response.

"It's nothing! Seriously," said Wally, not quite ready to share his recently developing attraction- obsession- observance- of the new student teacher assistant or whatever Mr. Rathaway's position was.

"You sure dude?" asked Robin curiously, "Because you haven't even made a single comment on the beauty of a cat fight."

"Because at this stage, you've got to be a moron not to be tracted by the super sweet sexiness of two babes going at it! Just look at that kick! Zatanna's all legs and pure power," said Wally with a grin, "But M'gann's got the whole babe thing working for her in that- Oh and she's down."

"You're disgusting," said Artemis with a snort.

"Only for you babe," said Wally easily, idly wondering how Hartley's legs looked when he kicked, or how much muscle he had.

* * *

Patrol with Flash was a great way to de-stress. There was something about the solid presence of his Uncle Barry beside him that just reminded him of all the good things in life. The reasons why he was a hero. The reason why he had decided to run. And there was nothing like running with the Flash. It was honest to god the best moment of his life. Nothing was as exhilarating as watching the world turn into a blur of color, running faster and faster until all those colors streamlined into a streaks of greens, greys, blues, flecked with yellow and red. There was nothing like moving so fast that the world was just a distant memory, something that could be overcome.

It gave Wally hope.

"Mirror Master's attacking a bank downtown, Pied Piper's hypnotizing some guys at Star Labs for theft," said Flash with a groan, "Who do you want to take Kid?"

"I got Star," said Kid easily. The route to Star Labs was straight and wide from here, and it was fun to run. Besides, he'd been working on his mental defences with M'gann and J'onn after New Years, so this shouldn't be too difficult. Plus he had earplugs. Not to mention Mirror Master had learnt over the years to fight the Flash in enclosed spaces with lots of reflective surfaces, which made him the trickier opponent and frankly, the more boring one.

The run over to Star Labs was far too quick for Kid's tastes, and he was slightly disappointed to find himself nearing his fight. Nevertheless, as he reached the laboratory, he felt that familiar spurt of adrenaline before a fight. He grinned as he entered through a side-door and sped up the stairs.

The familiar tune of the Piper's song was a few steps up. Kid Flash opened the side door, to find himself in a long, sterile white hallway. Scientists were walking around like zombies. The Pied Piper stood in the middle of the hallway, his hands on his pipe as the one scientist Piper had taken with him unlocked the doors to one of their labs.

"Kid Flash," said the man. His light, grass green hood was pulled over his head, covering his eyes and hair. His bodysuit was a dark, forest-green, head to toe, and accented his lean, muscular build. The silver belt wrapped around his waist had a music note at the buckle. He wore boots that matched the green of his hood, and gloves that matched the boots. Just barely, when he tilted his head up, you could make out the gleam of goggles.

"Got to say, I missed the polka dots. This new suit is taking time to get used to," said Kid with a grin, "Whatcha stealing this time Piper?"

He could practically hear the smile in the Rogue's tone as he replied, "Just some tech to upgrade my flute. It's been a while Kid, haven't had you chasing me down since the last Rogue Heist."

"Yep, that was three weeks ago, when you guys set up that elaborate trap to try and kill Flash," said Kid, mood souring a bit as he remembered that.

"By kidnapping you for bait. I must say, it was fun playing for your hyper-accelerated ear drums," teased the Piper.

"Well, the time before that I totally got the better of you," said Kid Flash, pouting as he referenced their encounter just before the New Year.

Flash had been off-world, and the Piper had been helping Weather Wizard and Heatwave with a heist on a jewellery store. He'd almost succeeded in keeping Kid at bay, until Kid Flash had started moving too fast for him to control, his brain processes speeding up and breaking him free from the Piper's control. However, Kid had pretended to remain in their control, letting Piper lead the heist, as Kid gathered all the money for them. Then, at the last second, he'd knocked out Weather Wizard and tricked Heatwave into thinking Piper was trying to get away. The resulting fight had made it easy for Kid Flash to knock both of them down.

"That you did," said the Piper with a sigh, "But I did manage to get away on Black Friday with all those jewels-

"Only because I had a broken arm and Flash was with the League!" argued Kid, "And we managed to recover some of that stuff!"

"As fun as the banter is Kid, I have tech to steal," said Piper with an exasperated sigh, "It's a good thing you're cute, otherwise I'd have left earlier."

"Sorry, but I got to do what I got to do," said Kid Flash, grinning ear to ear, but not the least bit apologetic. He did feel a bit funny when the Piper called him cute. He'd never done that before. Nevertheless, Wally began running as the Piper began playing his tune.

This time, it made Wally feel sluggish and weak, and he sped up his brain to break the control, as he weaved over to Piper to land a punch. Unfortunately, the Piper had been anticipating that. A sudden screech, similar to the Canary cry, filled his ears and he blasted backwards, landing with a thud into the wall of Star.

When Wally came to, the hostage scientist was passed out, and Piper was already gone. Cursing under his breath, Wally shook his head to get the ringing out of his ears, and ran out the door. Piper wasn't one of the Rogues for the campy dramatics like Trickster, he preferred a quick and clean getaway.

Sure enough, the Rogue was carrying his tech to his getaway car. He turned to see Wally, and despite the fact that Wally couldn't see the man, he was sure he was smirking. That irritated Wally. He wasn't just a kid to be played with! He was Kid Flash!

"Didn't mean to hurt you Kid," said the Piper with a grin, before lifting his flute to his lips.


	2. The Hartley Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of this product beyond the parts you don't recognize or that cannot be found elsewhere.**

* * *

**The Hartley Dilemma**

When Wally woke up again, he felt strangely weak and dizzy. His Uncle Barry- no- Flash was standing above him, looking worried. He tried to remember what happened, but he couldn't. He couldn't even remember how the Piper had gotten the drop on him so quickly.

"Are you alright Kid? What'd Piper do to you?" asked Flash, looking uneasy.

"I- He has a new attack, kind of like Canary's sonic cry- What'd he get away with?" asked Wally, feeling sick to his stomach as he looked up to his Uncle Barry for reassurance.

"Sonic tech- Not the point right now kid," said Barry with a sigh, "I saw the security footage, you were doing alright and then you just dropped- What happened?"

Wally was however, distracted. It was then that he realized he was back at Uncle Barry's house, in the guest bedroom. His cowl was pulled back, and his goggles were pulled off. And for the life of him, he couldn't remember what happened.

"Should I call J'onn to try and search your memories?" asked Flash, worried.

"Why are you in costume if we're at your house?" asked Wally, staring up at his uncle.

"Because he hasn't left your side since he got home sweetie," said Auntie Iris, as she came into the room carrying a plate piled with food.

"Oh," said Wally, feeling out of place. Something was pounding in his head. He felt uneasy, sluggish. Maybe he was just hungry.

He took the nearest sandwich and began scarfing it down. He ate quicker then normal, but as the food settled in, he felt less uneasy. He smacked his lips, and grinned lazily at his Uncle and Aunt. Uncle Barry had pulled back his cowl, and was smiling down at his nephew. He ruffled Wally's hair, before asking again, "Anything kid?"

Wally sighed and tried to jog his memory. He groaned in frustration, trying to remember what happened. All he remembered was chasing Piper to the car, and then he dropped.

"He- he just started his tune, and I dropped," said Wally with a sigh, "I have no clue what that means."

"Were you low on fuel?" asked Iris, "Maybe the lack of energy gave Piper a change to get the drop on you."

"Maybe," said Barry, his expression displaying all the doubts he had about that particular idea. However, he must have seen something in Wally's face, because he brightened momentarily, and said, "Well, at least we know to be prepared for new attacks from him the next time we see him! Let's grab some dinner, and then watch a movie. I'm exhausted."

"Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy," said Wally immediately, "You don't get to pick the movie this time Uncle B! That's what we're watching."

And with that, he jumped off the bed and raced ahead of Barry, who laughed and sped up to catch him, before speed-nougieing him, and Wally was totally okay with it.

* * *

The next time Wally ran into Mr. Rathaway was a total coincidence. It was the Friday of the very week he'd met Hartley. His mother had been working late (typical) and had sent him a text to grab some groceries and make his own dinner. Frozen pizzas it was then. The Quickmart by his house was small, but it had ample space and was open any hour. By the time Wally had come home from the mountain after tutoring M'gann in human biology, it was nearing seven o'clock, and he was able to enter and get a cart with no rush there for a Friday night.

The cart rolled down the aisles of the Quickmart, and Wally's shoes scraped lightly on the tile, as he shoved food into it. His stomach was grumbling, and he was tempted to just open the bag of chips he'd tossed and eat. But he ignored that for favour of plucking milk from the fridges. As he rolled the cart, he came face to face with one Mr. Rathaway, standing there in all his glory.

If it was possible, since their last meeting, he looked even better. His hair was loose from his pony-tail, and fell around his head, with a perfect tussled look. He was wearing glasses that perched on his nose and framed those copper sulfate eyes. He was dressed in a brown trench-coat style jacket that looked expensive, and a shiny pair of black skinny jeans. The man was all leg. All leg indeed.

Wally blushed despite himself. He didn't understand what it was, but something about Mr. Rathaway was setting him off. He was totally gay. Except he _wasn't_ and this was _so not_ the moment because the man was talking and he was staring and now Mr. Rathaway was grinning.

"Huh?" he asked, feeling oddly out of place as he stared at those lips. They were smooth, pink, and shiny, like he'd just run some chapstick over them.

"I asked if you were having a party," he said, pointing to the small cart.

It was filled with chips, pop, pizza, some fruit, bread, and milk. He swallowed and smiled weakly as he replied, "Nah- Just a big eater."

"Huh," said Mr. Rathaway, suddenly using those eyes like sensors as they slid over his body, over his shoulders, down his chest to hovering over his torso, down his legs, and then back to his face, "You don't look like one."

Wally was bright red, redder than his hair as all the blood rushed to his face and his knees suddenly buckled and he had to grip the cart. He was not getting dizzy over the fact that he'd just been checked out by the hot TA. That was not happening. He was the Wall-_man_. Get a grip!

"Er- huh?" he garbled out, and then turned his head, completely embarrassed by his behaviour, "I mean- Wha?- I mean- Never mind."

Hartley laughed, and Wally swore to god it sounded like a choir of angels as he grinned roguishly at Wally, smirking as he leaned against Wally's cart, "Well, mind if I join you for a bite?"

"Huh?" asked Wally, feeling his eyes go wide at the thought of Apollo wanting to join him for dinner. Him.

Holy fuck.

"Or is that weird?" asked Hartley, suddenly looking a bit uneasy, almost nervous.

"No! That- Yeah," said Wally, finally finding his voice, "Yeah, yeah, er, join me for dinner. I just got to throw this stuff into the cupboard, and then we can warm some pizza or go out or order in! Whatever you want!"

"I'm perfectly fine with ordering in," said Hartley with a smile, as he gently took the cart from Wally, "Shall we head out then?"

"Yeah," said Wally, grinning widely at the guy beside him, "I'd like that."

And just like that, Wally found himself being escorted out by one grinning Hartley. The man even paid for Wally's groceries, flippantly waving off Wally's protests as he lead them to the car. Wally should have been more alert. This was so wrong, just getting in a stranger's car. Uncle Barry had told him horror stories about strangers and nice intentions. But it just felt so right. And by the time they reached his place, he couldn't think of a reason to associate Hartley with crime.

Hartley was passionate as he talked about his music career. He told Wally all about his flute, and his piano, his violin and his trumpet, and how he tuned them and took care of them with the gentlest touch. Wally was mesmerized. Hartley was so intelligent and knowledgeable about music. Wally could listen to him talk for hours.

"Did you know that the eardrum is only 10 milimetres long?" blurted Wally suddenly, and then he flushed, but Hartley only grinned at him from the driver's seat and replied, "Really huh?"

"Yeah," said Wally casually, "When sound enters the ear drum it produces vibrations along the ossicular chain that cause the stapes bone to vibrate in the opening of the cochlea converting the mechanical energy into chemo-electric energy that's carried to the brain via the acoustic nerve."

"Their are two kinds of nerves that make up the generic acoustic nerve," said Hartley suddenly, "The cochlear nerve is the nerve for hearing, and the vestibular nerve."

"You know about random ear facts?" asked Wally, jaw dropped. He had thought he was the only nerd to go looking up the biology and physics of sound.

"I'm a musician, and the two most important things to a musician are their hands and their ears Wally," said Hartley easily, "And if you're going to control a tool, then you've got to know it as well as you'd know that red hair of yours in a crowd."

Wally blushed again, but Hartley's easy smile let him know that it was okay. He relaxed, and then continued to lead Hartley to his house. They arrived in record time if Wally had been walking, but still ten minutes later than if Wally had just run the entire way. He didn't mind slowing down for Hartley though. It was kind of- sort of- totally okay. Hartley was a gem, helping him unload the groceries, and even packing them in the pantry. Before Wally knew it, all the groceries were tucked away, and he and Hartley were alone in the kitchen. And it was back to being awkward.

"Er- Drink?" offered Wally lamely, not sure what to do at this point.

"Sure, I could use a little something," replied Hartley, his eyes still trained on Wally, "What do you have?"

"There's juice, milk, coke, diet coke, dad's beer, mom's wine, some hot chocolate from Christmas, some fruit juice, er- Koolaid maybe? Whatever you want," said Wally, as he swung the fridge open and began sifting for a drink.

"I'll take some juice, what do you have?" asked Hartley, as he took off his jacket to reveal a slim, yet still muscular figure trapped in a white shirt with a black tie.

"A- Apple," said Wally, tearing his eyes away from Hartley rolling his sleeves up and tying his hair back, "And pom- pomegranate."

His voice had cracked. This was all too embarrassing to deal with. Hartley gave him a sympathetic look, like he understood. God Hartley was fabulous. Wally pulled out the requested pomegranate juice, which actually had a bit of kiwi in it, and poured a glass for the both of them. It was in moments like these Wally wished he wasn't a speedster. His mom's wine would have made this situation a lot less awkward.

"So, what do you do for fun Wally?" asked Hartley casually, "I mean y'know I'm a music nerd, but what about you?"

"Er- I like science," said Wally lamely, "And I like to run."

"A jock and an academic," said Hartley, with a raised eyebrow, "That's impressive. Though I have to say, I've never quite met someone who blends the best of both worlds as well as you do."

"Why is that?" asked Wally, uneasy but also a little thrilled at the compliment.

"You're handsome and smart," said Hartley with that clever grin again, "Need I say more?"

"No- I think I got it," said an awestruck Wally, who was red again, but still smiling, "You're not bad yourself, babe. Work out much?"

Straight up flirting. He could handle this. Even if the other guy was a _dude._ He had his reservations, sure, but Hartley had been nothing but nice to him, and he wasn't about to push Hartley away just because he was freaking out. And that grin was doing things to his spine that he hadn't felt since Artemis and her cutting glare. He was so turned on right now, and it was just casual flirting. Wait a minute- Was _he_ the flirtatious one? He hadn't even figured Hartley's sexuality out! He could totally be straight and this could be entirely a product of Wally's head.

_He stared at you in the store. _

_Yeah, but it wouldn't be the first time you sped up your body and misinterpreted the signals! _

Crap. Hartley was talking again._ Listen __Wally__! _

"-few times a month yeah," said Hartley casually, "It's not my favorite thing to do, but I have a workout buddy whose easy on the eyes, and he makes it worth it. Red head too, I sort of have a thing for them."

So he_ is_ gay. With an apparent workout buddy.

"So I guess that means you're seeing him then?" asked Wally, feeling his heart squeezing into three different pieces, as his heterosexuality, his first homosexual feelings, and his heart all collapsed.

"Not the way you think," said the teacher's assistant with a little laugh, "Not that I wouldn't mind, but he's a busy guy, and it would be inappropriate. Besides, I think I may have met another redhead who's just as cute."

"That so?" asked Wally hopefully, as his hand ran through his hair, feeling giddy and nervous all at once.

"Depends on how interested he is though," continued the man, raising an eyebrow at Wally, who only swallowed in response.

That was a whole other playing field. He wasn't gay. Or at least, he wasn't _sure_ if he was gay. Suddenly he realized what a compromising situation he had inadvertently put himself into, and this was not a good place to be. This was definitely not what sane guys did nearly four weeks after a break-up with their first ever girlfriend. This wasn't right.

"Look," said Wally firmly, "I- I think you should go."

Hartley's face fell, and Wally's own heart sank at those words. The man in front of him looked lost, and Wally suddenly felt the urge to take back what he said, but that incessant part of him that was screaming that things were moving too fast (after all, he was still debating his gayness) continued to urge him forward.

"I mean- I just got out of a relationship, like a month ago," began Wally immediately, "And that was with another girl- and I haven't- I mean- I'm not sure about men and how I feel about men. The Kinsey scale said I'm at a two when I tried that- but that thing has so many variables it doesn't take into consideration not to mention sexuality isn't fluid and this is moving really fast and you're hot but I'm not ready and you're a teacher- assistant teacher- teacher at my school- and-

"Hey," said Hartley smoothly, breaking his thought process with that one, silky word, "Relax. I'm not going to pressure you into anything. Just let yourself relax. I'll go tonight, and if you need someone to talk, I'm here. As for the gay thing, well, you seem pretty responsive to me, and I don't mind being the one to teach you, if you'd like. You know where to find me, and here, this is my number."

He laid out a card with neat, curly writing across it. His cell number. Wally stared, admiring the smooth curve to the three, and then looked back at Hartley, who was so understanding that it just wasn't fair. He deserved a better guy to Wally's lanky and awkward disaster. But he grinned at Wally, pulled his trench back on, and just walked out the door. Wally was left behind to think.

* * *

**And that's that. **

**So, anyone interested in Beta-ing?**

**Also, Sundays may or may not become my unofficial update day. No idea. We'll see how this turns out. **

**Find me on tumblr if you're interested. **


	3. The Friendship Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of this product beyond the parts you don't recognize or that cannot be found elsewhere.**

**Un-Betaed. **

* * *

**The Friendship Dilemma**

Thinking sucked. Ever since Hartley had walked out of Wally's life, all Wally could do was think. The teacher's assistant had smiled politely at him in the hallways, and Wally couldn't deny that he'd been eyeing those pink lips more than he'd ever dared to with another guy. He'd tried checking out other guys, and while there was a spark of attraction, or something drawing him to them, it wasn't like with Hartley. When he was with Hartley, all he could think about was Hartley. Even if he wasn't with Hartley, he wanted to be near Hartley. Something in the back of his mind was drawing him to the older man. It was like a song he just couldn't stop singing.

It was this precise reason Wally had ended up in this predicament.

He'd headed to the Mount Justice for their usual training alongside Canary-babe, only to get side-tracked because Zatanna was wearing a blue sweater. A copper sulfate blue that was identical to Hartley's eyes. In the middle of training he'd blanked out, even though he was fighting Black Canary and you just don't black out when a hard ass like Canary was attacking you. But he had.

And in that moment Canary had swung a kick that was definitely an easy to block and had probably been a feint, and landed it straight across Wally's chest, sending him flying and bruising a rib. Perfect. The immediate reaction had been pandemonium. Kaldur had separated from Conner to come over and check things out, with Black Canary and Robin right behind them. He felt like a moron as they all stared at him. Kaldur had nice eyes, but not as nice as the blue of Hartley's, especially when they were staring at Wally with disappointment as Black Canary chewed him out.

"Did you hear a word I said Kid?" snapped Canary suddenly, interrupting the perfect inner monologue.

"I know, it was a really stupid mistake," said Wally hesitantly, "I'm sorry."

Canary eyed him for a moment, before bluntly asking, "Do you want to talk about whatever was bothering you?"

Wally's eyes widened. The last flame of heterosexuality was still burning within him (Hartley had apparently not squeezed it away entirely with that smile of his) and there was no way he was discussing this crisis with Black Canary. She was like- Sex on legs. No. No flippin way.

"I'm good," he said quickly, and then repeated it so that she could hear him. Her eyes narrowed, but she dropped the matter.

"Training is over for the day," she said sternly, "The Flash will come pick you up in an hour. Stay."

And like that, he was dismissed. Of course, it would have been too easy if Dinah had just walked out of the room and the Flash came on time. Instead, he was stuck with a very curious group of teenaged friends. Rocket had even come by, despite her gradual introduction to the team, and the African-American teenager looked far too curious to be natural. Artemis had an eyebrow propped in that way that inspired fear. Kaldur and Conner had stoic looks of concern down pat, though M'gann's friendly and bubbly hovering made him want to melt except for the fact that he'd thought of her in not so appropriate ways like, just a few months back and he was _so_ not telling her his issues. Ever. Robin had his typical glare that demanded an answer. And there was no way he could deny Rob the truth. Or at least, part of the truth.

"Spill," said Artemis firmly, hands on her hips.

"I- er- This- It's nothing," said Wally easily, flouncing away, avoiding the topic entirely.

He sucked at lying to Robin and Artemis. Maybe that's why the former was his best friend, and the latter hadn't worked out as a girlfriend.

"Either you tell us what's up, or I'll crack your ribs some more," threatened Artemis.

"It's my business! Try anything and I'll snap your pretty little bow in half!" snapped Wally angrily, and M'gann suddenly giggled.

"What?" the two of them snapped back at her, as they glared at each other.

"It's just been so long since the two of you have fought," said M'gann brightly, "It's like you two are okay now."

The two paused, staring at M'gann, and then at each other. It was like an awkward breeze had blown back in, reminding them of why they had broken up. Brusquely, Artemis flipped her hair, and turned away from Wally as she said, "Are you going to talk?"

"I-

"C'mon kid," said Robin, popping up behind him and waving a sandwich over his head, "Tell us and I'll feed you. Besides, you're never so distracted when fighting _BC._"

"It's nothing," said Wally, though his eyes hovered on the pastrami delight above his head, "I mean- It's not that big a deal."

"You have a minute to spill or I use magic," said Zatanna in her sing-song voice, as Robin cackled beside them. Whoever thought pairing those two together was a good idea had to have been an evil genius. Or y'know, just plain crazy.

"Fine," snapped Wally, but only because he_ hated _magic. Abhorred it really. Even if Zatanna was a nice girl somewhere under the Robin and Artemis infected part of her. "It's just- your sweater distracted me, that's all."

"My sweater?" asked Zatanna blankly, before checking it out and then raising a quizzical eyebrow at him and saying, "It's a plain old sweater. It's not even see through. What's so exciting about this lumpy old thing?"

Everyone was giving him curious glances and Wally flushed before muttering something under his breath. When nobody showed any signs of recognition or surprise, he snuck a glance at Artemis, who still had her scowly-scary face on, and sighed as he replied uneasily, "I- I mean- There's this girl- at school- her eyes are that colour."

Everyone went silent. For a moment, nobody said anything as Wally leaned on the counter, not meeting Artemis's eyes. Suddenly the room's temperature had cooled dramatically, or heated up, whatever the metaphor was. All he knew was that it was stifling him and he wanted to run. Speedster instinct. It wasn't out of fear, just, that desire to move to contain his emotions, which was weird, but then, speed was weird.

"A girl?" asked Artemis, her eyes narrowed as he met them, and he dropped his eyes immediately before swallowing and nodding. Not the entire truth, but close enough.

Artemis immediately stomped off. Zatanna and Rocket were fast to follow, though M'gann threw him a worried and sympathetic glance. He wasn't upset with those reactions, Zatanna and Rocket knew Artemis better than they knew him, and M'gann may have been fond of him, but he'd never denied he'd been the one at fault in their relationship, and right now, Artemis probably needed him more.

"Was that why you broke up with Artemis?" growled Superboy, and Wally felt himself getting sick. The pastrami heavenliness was out of his mind.

"Kind of," said Wally, uneasy as he stared at the counter, "I mean- It wasn't- I didn't mean to-

"Talk faster than that Kid, because it sounds really bad from where we're standing," replied Robin, looking uneasy. It was moments like these where it was easy to remember that Robin was fourteen, and Superboy wasn't even a year old, and they both still had a semi-black-white view of the unknown things in life, like relationships.

Surprisingly, Kaldur looked disappointed in him. The Atlantean merely stared at him, as though he had committed a sort of crime and said, "Is this relationship mutual? And will it present further problems in your work or in the team?"

"It's- I didn't know I was into her when I was with Artemis- I didn't even know her then- at least, not like this," said Wally immediately, trying, begging his friends to get what he was saying, and they relaxed a bit at those words, "I mean- I- I met her properly like two week ago, and I'm really into her, but I dunno, I just ended things with Artemis, and that was- really bad. Like mega-terrible. I don't want to enter this and have things go that way either. So it's not mutual, but not because we're not into each other, I just- I'm not ready for it."

"I've never seen you so worked up about some babe," said Robin easily, "You've never even been distracted about girls when you were with Artemis. Seems pretty serious to me."

"Whatever decision you make, my friend," said Kaldur easily, resting a warm hand on his shoulder, "We will stand by you. But I believe you should speak with Artemis before this gets out of hand."

"Yeah- Yeah," said Wally nervously, "I- I'm going to talk to her. Now."

Without waiting for a reply, Wally sped off to Artemis's corridor. He needed to clear the air with Artemis or he'd never be able to think of Hartley again without hearing Artemis stomping away. Feeling her betrayal. Seeing those narrowed eyes. He needed to clear the air. Now.

He was outside Artemis's door in seconds, and his fist was raised in the air. Before he could bang on the door, M'gann was opening it, and the girls were shuffling out. Artemis was sitting on her bed, cross-legged and polishing her arrows with a seriousness that scared the crap out of him.

God she was hot.

"How'd they know I was coming?" asked Wally lamely, as the door shut behind him.

"Conner warned Megan," said Artemis loftily, "Why are you here?"

"I- I never cheated on you- I mean- I didn't even know her when it was us," he said immediately, "And I'm so- so sorry. I didn't- I should have told you differently."

"Yeah, you should have," said Artemis, scowling angrily at him, "That was absolutely humiliating! Zee thought I was going to snap and kill you! M'gann wanted to know if I was going to cry!"

"I- I'm really sorry Arty," said Wally, approaching her cautiously, before flumping beside her on the bed, "I didn't mean anything by it. I honestly, truly, never thought I was going to end up- y'know, liking a girl like her."

"Please, if she has tits then she's bound to turn your head," said Artemis, still scowling and glaring at her arrows, "I just- I can't believe how fast you move. If you weren't happy with us, why'd you try so hard?"

Kid flushed at the words, and he knew it was brusque and brutish, but it was laced with so much insecurity that Wally immediately felt guilty. He didn't know what to say, and so he stayed quiet. Until an arrow poked his arm, demanding an answer. At least it wasn't tricked out yet.

"I- I really wanted us to work," said Wally guiltily, "You were my first girlfriend Arty. And I didn't want to screw that up."

Artemis stared at him, and then sighed before saying, "It was stupid and irresponsible. Don't string this girl along if you're not that into her. Or else I'll stab you with one of the exploding arrows. Straight through your dick."

Wally winced, and covered his crotch instinctively. If any girl was going to carry that threat out, it was Artemis. He grinned at her though, and she placed a light kiss to his cheek, signalling that it was forgiven for now. They stayed like that for a while, letting themselves become familiar and intimate in a new, soft way. A way they hadn't done before.

And when the Flash took Wally home, he suddenly felt ready to call Hartley.

* * *

**Here's the new chapter! It's been a while, but at least it looks pretty :) Not beta-ed yet. **

**Anyways, I'm a bit busy for the next few weeks with exams and school and stuff, so the updates might slow down, but expect them on Sunday if nothing else. **


	4. The Pre-Date Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of this product beyond the parts you don't recognize or that cannot be found elsewhere.**

**Un-Betaed. **

* * *

**The Pre-Date Dilemma**

Calling Hartley didn't occur for another day. His parents were both home that night, and Wally had spent the time sandwiched between the two watching the news and awkwardly listening to them complain about work and how he didn't help them at all, interspersed with questions about his school life and superhero life. The gentle scolding and reenactment of his life finished, and then Wally was sent on his way, to his room, and told to go to sleep.

A week from their last meeting, Wally called Hartley nervously. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, or what he really wanted from this meeting. He just needed to talk. If Hartley was going to distract him from his training, then he had a problem. Somehow, someway, he needed to make things right with Hartley so that he didn't hurt his friends anymore. So that he didn't hurt Artemis again.

"Hello?" came the sleepy voice on the telephone. He should probably have waited until noon to call, eight in the morning was way too early.

"Hartley?" asked Wally nervously, "Is this- I mean-

"Wally?" asked the voice, sounding much more alert, "Hey, what's up?"

"I- Er- I wanted to talk to you," said Wally sheepishly, "If it's too early, I can call back."

"I'm awake now," said Hartley lazily, "Just talk. What did you want to say?"

"I- Er- I don't really know," said Wally with a weak laugh, and he could hear Hartley chuckling too, so it couldn't have been too bad, "I just- look. I've never done anything like this before, and I think- I think I really like you, or at least, I feel something for you. But I'm not- I mean- I don't think I'm gay, or at least, I've never really been gay."

"Huh, are you sure?" asked Hartley, sounding genuinely surprised, "I mean- I didn't think you'd respond the way you do if you weren't somewhat attracted to men."

Wally blushed at that, and coughed before lamely adding, "I guess that's true."

"Look, why don't you meet me for dinner tonight? Or a movie? Friends go to movies, right?" said Hartley casually, "We can see anything that's running at seven, and after that, we can talk."

"Like- a date?!" asked Wally, his voice automatically rising an octave higher than normal.

"Only if you want it to be a date," said Hartley easily, "But why not call it a trial run? Sort of like a, what if scenario. If things turn out to be too weird for you, I'll drop you home and there'll be no questions asked. If it turns out to be alright, well, we'll take it from there, okay?"

"But- I mean- I'm not even sure I'm gay! Or at least- into dudes!" said Wally nervously.

"So try it out on me," said Hartley firmly, "I'll pick you up at seven, okay?"

"O- Okay," said Wally finally, "Seven. My house."

"Great, see you then!" said Hartley chipperly, before the phone hung up, and Wally was left to contemplate what he'd just done.

* * *

Of course, the one time he schedules a date, a mission cropped up. Wally was shipped off to Tokyo that day itself, to grab some top-secret files from the Luthorcorp branch in Tokyo, for crying out loud, and by the time they got back from the mission to debrief, it was almost five thirty. And then debriefing took a full frickin hour as Robin and Batman did their father-son montage thing and Kaldur did his stoic leader impression.

"Shit! I got to go!" said Wally, glancing at the clock, "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Are you not joining us for a movie?" asked Kaldur, reminding Wally of the team's ritual for successful missions.

"I- Er-

He didn't know what to say. Everyone knew Wally never missed a movie. His parents, while normal if not a bit cranky and mean, were not Wally's favorite people to hang out with, mostly because they weren't always home. And they never cared if Wally was a little late coming home or not. They just, were.

"Where are you off to in such a rush KF?" asked Robin, his arm around Zee's shoulders, "Hot date tonight?"

He was just teasing, but Wally flushed as the remark hit home. Immediately the room went quiet, realizing Robin had hit the mark. The team was staring between Wally and Artemis, Wally looking downtrodden, and Artemis looking stony. Wally caught Artemis's eye, and she looked sad, but finally her lips twitched and she said, "Go. And don't keep a lady waiting!"

"It's not- never mind," said Kid, ignoring all the incredulous looks he was receiving from everyone else.

"What's her name?" asked Robin quickly, before Kid could leave.

"Er," said Kid, looking uneasy, "Not important dude, she's just- y'know."

Robin looked a little taken aback, and then hurt flashed across his face, when Superboy suddenly interrupted to ask, "Is she the reason you've been so distracted?"

"Kind of," said Wally uneasily, "But- I mean- it won't be a problem again!"

"I'd think dating her would mean you'd be thinking about her more often," said Zatanna quietly, looking at Artemis with worry.

"Yeah- I mean- It's not important!" snapped Wally, glaring at Zatanna, sensing her dislike of Hartley. She didn't even know the guy! He didn't realize everyone was staring at his sudden anger, until he turned to Artemis and stiffly said, "Can I go now?"

"Yeah," said Artemis, looking slightly surprised.

Relieved, Kid nodded, and he grinned widely at Artemis, before waving at her as he left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaldur and Robin's thoughtful expressions watching him leave.

* * *

"You're okay with that?" asked Zatanna, rounding on Artemis the moment the team heard Wally's code over the zeta announcement.

"We broke up," said Artemis coolly, as she went back to sorting the movies, consciously avoiding any that Wally liked, "He has every right to see other people."

"Why did you guys break up?" asked M'gann quietly, as she brought the popcorn over, Superboy trailing after her with a giant bag of pretzels and more popcorn.

"It's private," said Artemis tersely.

"You aren't seeing other people! And you clearly aren't over him," said Zatanna angrily, "Why does he get to see other people so soon after you guys broke up! Is that why you broke up? Because Wally wasn't seeing you exclusively?"

Artemis paused, a little ticked that her break up was being dragged so openly into the air. She knew why Zatanna was doing it. Her friend, and oddly enough, best friend, had been there when she'd been tearing herself up over Wally. Zatanna knew the basic, very basics, of why things ended. Artemis's suspicions, her worries. Zatanna knew the base of it, and probably had an active imagination to derive what all of it meant. And where Artemis tried to hide those flaws, Zatanna stewed and raged over it. She was surprised at how good it made her feel to know that she wasn't wrong in being upset. That someone had her back. But at the same time, she wasn't going to let Zee blame Wally for everything about their break-up. After all, Wally _had_ tried.

"Zee, shut up," said Artemis warningly, glaring at her friend, who immediately quieted down, but her frown stayed in place.

By now though, the team was mostly staring between the two. They all had an idea of what Zatanna was saying, and the deeper implications of what that meant. Neither looked pleased at the way Artemis was dodging things, or the way Zatanna had phrased that question.

"Damn," said Rocket quietly, giving Artemis a sympathetic look that grated on her nerves.

"He didn't know her," said Superboy suddenly, and fiercely, as he glared at Zatanna, "Wally says he didn't know her before. And I believe him. Wally doesn't lie."

That eased and squeezed Artemis's heart all at once. Superboy, despite his flaws, was loyal to the core. And he was always loyal to Wally above all else. She knew the story, Wally helped save him from Cadmus, and Wally promised the moon, and delivered. Wally had opened his house for Superboy when nobody else had. Those things added up. Because Wally had a big heart, and she had no right to let anyone get in the way of that.

"He's right," said Artemis slowly, "Whatever happened between Wally and I has nothing to do with his new girlfriend. She wasn't in the picture when we broke up, and Wally really likes her. So let it go Zee."

"Wally wouldn't lie," echoed Robin from beside Zatanna.

"Then why was he acting so defensive back there?" asked Rocket curiously, "Is he always that angry when you question him?"

The team had no answers. Everyone paused, looking uneasily at each other. Wally was never the angry and defensive type.

"Well, it must be bad," said Zatanna, pursing her lips before suddenly grinning wickedly, "'Course, I wonder who exactly this new babe is."

"I think that is where I must draw the line," said Kaldur firmly, "Wally is entitled to his privacy."

"But, if it's for the good of the team," said Rocket easily, "And he is a little distracted. Might be nice to know who this wonder-babe really is. Especially if she's got him worked up into knots like that."

"And what if she's using him?" added Artemis quietly with a frown, remembering how easily Wally got duped by waitresses that they were dating, or the movie attendants, or the girl on the street in Gotham who was clearly a pick-pocket.

"I don't know," said M'gann with a frown, "This is a bit rude, isn't it? It would be like if I peeked in his mind without his permission."

"Robin?" asked Zatanna, glancing at him curiously.

"KF will tell me when the time's right," said Robin with a shrug, "That's just how we are. When we're ready, we tell each other everything."

"But if we looked it up without asking?" asked Zatanna, prompting him, "Would he be mad?"

Robin looked uneasy, before sighing and said, "He won't be mad, depending on who takes the call. It's not my place, and I'm not going to judge him for what he does or doesn't tell me. That's not how we work."

"You think if I ask to look it up, he won't be mad?" asked Artemis, arching an eyebrow.

Everyone glanced at her, even Zatanna, in surprise. They hadn't expected Artemis to want to see the new girl, or if she did, not to be so calm over it. Even more, they all glanced at each other. Nobody really wanted to say yes. Nobody really wanted to say no either. While this was an immense decision to take, and a breach of privacy, it was also _Wally_. They all knew he had a tendency to fall for a girl hard, as evident with M'gann. Yet he'd also broken Artemis's heart. Nobody really knew what to do.

"If you wish to see her," said Kaldur delicately, "Then I will not stop you. And if the rest of you believe this is a decision that affects the team, then I will not stop you."

"Let's take a vote," said Robin placatingly, "Those who think we should look this up, raise your hand."

Zatanna, Rocket, Artemis. Robin repeated the vote with those who were against. Superboy raised his hand. Robin, Kaldur and M'gann were undecided. With that, Zatanna clapped her hands joyfully.

"_Etad s'yllaW su wohs!_" said Zatanna pointing her hand at the television with a giggle.

The screen flared to life, the image coming up to Wally's house. There was a blonde man walking out of a car to the door. He had his hair tied up neatly into a pony-tail, and was wearing blue jeans, with a black shirt and white tie. He looked like he was wearing expensive clothes.

"Where's Wally's date?" asked Rocket, looking confused.

"I don't know," said Zatanna, uncertainly, "The spell is supposed to show the date. Maybe I said it wrong?"

"How could it be wrong?" asked M'gann curiously.

"Well, it shows the first scene of the date, but if it's a double date, or a group date it could be off," said Zatanna with a frustrated sigh, "I guess that ends that. Just pop the movie in."

With that, the team popped in the DVD and pushed Wally's date out of their minds. All except Artemis who couldn't help but think over that scene again and again, feeling shock wrack through her body.

* * *

**Alright, and that's the new chapter! More to come, as always. **

**So, I just wanted to clarify something about why the team's being pushy- It's not that they don't understand privacy, but it's literally been like, six weeks since New Years, a month of Artemis and Wally dating after all their sexual tension, and now _two weeks_ since they broke up for unknown reasons. At New Years, they all confessed their deepest, darkest secrets (besides Robin's identity), and so, they have this new found trust, and everyone is all open with each other and everything is out there. Now Wally is hiding something, and the last time things were being hidden by teammates, they had a crisis. So, there's a sense of betrayal in Wally hiding things- (Artemis told them about her family's history, M'gann confessed to her ugliest side and that she created a false identity, and Superboy confessed to having Lex Luthor for a father- not quite similar to confessing to be gay or bisexual, but those are pretty deep secrets, y'know?) as well as a sense of- does he not trust us? Why? What could be so bad? **

**And again, break-ups are messy, and there's a sort of divide in the team, each of them taking sides in the break-up despite not really wanting to, and again, they all have their own interpretations and understanding of why things ended the way they did from the little they know or have heard. **

**Secondly, Zatanna and Rocket. Zatanna- I know she's coming off pushy, but remember, she's Artemis' best friend, and she was there for the break-up, and we've only really seen Artemis and Wally's POV's, so what Artemis classifies as 'basic details' is not quite the same as what Zatanna knows, kapeesh? And from what she does know, Wally's not in a really good position, particularly since he dated Artemis for a month, broke her heart, and is now entering another relationship literally TWO WEEKS after leaving Artemis, which is never a particularly good thing, especially if you've heard what Zatanna's heard about the relationship. **

**As for Rocket being pushy, this has to do with her back-story (Which I'm fleshing out from my own interpretations of what I've read about her), and will be explained via a plot. **

**ALSO- entering my exams in two weeks, Expect no updates between May 4th to 21st. **

**Review Replies: **

Guest: I'm continuing at this pace, sorry if it's slow- but I have exams in literally a few weeks, so not a lot of time!


End file.
